Madam, - I strongly disagree with Malcolm Byrne's letter of May 29th regarding Australian prime minister John Howard's visit and my protest. I have always spoken out on human rights abuses whether it is Dublin, Bogota, Havana or Miami. My record on these issues speaks for itself. They are all on the Dáil record.
The reality is that Mr Howard is a cheerleader for Bush and his war in Iraq. I received many emails from Australia thanking me for speaking out against Mr Howard's policies. I look forward to hearing Mr Byrne speaking out on behalf of the 3,000 victims killed in Cuba by right-wing extremists based in Florida. I have asked our own Minister for Foreign Affairs to raise these matters with Mr Bush.
I have no problem with having a political discussion but I reject the charge of hypocrisy. - Yours, etc,
FINIAN McGRATH TD, Independent, Dáil Éireann, Dublin 2.